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As I was looking at my "to try" list I noticed that there were a few recipes with kabocha in them. Kabocha is a winter squash otherwise known as the Japanese pumpkin. It is sweet and it has the texture of a pumpkin. I though that I would do a kabocha theme for this weeks menu. At the top of the list was this recipe for a kabocha risotto topped with pancetta, sage and toasted pumpkin seeds. I wanted the risotto to both have the flavour of oven roasted kabocha puree and the texture of solid pieces of kabocha. I used half of the kabocha to make pumpkin puree and the other half I cut into bit sized pieces. This risotto was pretty good. The sweetness of the kabocha went surprisingly well in a risotto with parmigiano reggiano. For lunch today I had some of the leftover kabocha risotto with some leftover salami, which I fired, on top. Regular pumpkin or butternut squash would also work well here.

Directions:
1. Cut the kabocha in half and use one half to make pumpkin puree.
2. Remove the skin from the other half of the kabocha and cut into bite sized pieces.
3. Heat the chicken stock in a pan and keep warm while making the risotto.
4. Melt the butter in a large sauce pan.
5. Add the onions and saute until tender.
6. Add the rice and saute until the rice becomes translucent, about 2 minutes.
7. Add the wine and deglaze the bottom of the pan.
8. Add the kabocha puree and kabocha pieces.
9. Add 1/2 cup of the chicken stock to the rice and stir until the rice absorbs it. Continue to do this until the rice is cooked al dente, about 20-30 minutes. The kabocha pieces should be tender by now.
10. Remove from the heat and stir in the parmigiano reggiano.
11. Fry the pancetta in a pan.
12. Add the sage ad fry until crispy.
13. Remove from the heat and add the toasted pumpkin seeds.
14. Serve the risotto topped with the pancetta, sage and pumpkin seeds.

I love Japanese pumpkin! And your risotto looks excellent. I really need to try it soon. I once had it at a restaurant and it was so poorly done! :( But I love the concept. home-made version should be much better!

At this moment, that looks like the bestest comfort food in the world. My local Safeway supermarket had kabocha, and I'd never had it, so I just simply steamed it. I'll have to pick up another one to try this!

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About Me

I came to realize that my meals were boring and that I had been eating the same few dishes over and over again for years. It was time for a change! I now spend my free time searching for, creating and trying tasty new recipes in my closet sized kitchen.